A/N Keep the reviews coming I enjoy reading them. Thanks again for reading.
1 Month Later
Time seemed to stretch on at a painfully slow pace. Mellie spent almost every waking moment at the hospital with Fitz. Her mother and father had brought Teddy to D.C. and stayed with him at the White House. Karen was home from school to be near her dad. They'd all lost so much that now they needed to come together as a family.
The doctor's initially had him in a medically induced coma, but when they tried to bring him out of it he had truly slipped into a coma. Mellie knew that every day that he stayed this way there was less of a chance of him waking up. Andrew had taken over as president, but that was far from Mellie's worries. She just wanted her husband to wake up and be ok.
Mellie stood from the chair that she was sitting in to stretch her muscles that had become stiff from the long hours of sitting. She walked over to the window and stared out at the dark D.C. sky. She was so tired, so very tired. She laid her head against the cool window and closed her eyes. It had been a long time since she'd had a good night's sleep. She absentmindedly rubbed her stomach. She had a very small bump starting to form. The only reason she left the hospital at all these days to go rest was because of the small unborn child growing within her. She knew she had to take care of this baby it would be what he'd want.
Mellie was nearly asleep standing up when she heard a faint rattling noise. She dismissed it as her over tried brain playing tricks on her, but when she heard it again she turned around and noticed that Fitz's IV line was swing gently. She walked over to him and gasped when she saw his eyes flutter. Mellie stared at him unsure if she was losing her mind, but there was no doubt when his eyes fluttered again, that he was waking up.
Mellie ran out in the hall calling for the nurse, who rushed in to tend to Fitz. She called the doctor in and Mellie was asked to wait out in the hall. She paced nervously up and down the hall. Finally the doctor came out and spoke with her.
"Mrs. Grant he is waking up. It won't be immediate these things can take several hours to several days, but the good news is it will happen. I'll schedule an MRI for in the morning." Mellie had a big smile on her face for the first time in over a month.
"Can I go see him?"
"Of course." Mellie walked back into the room. His eyes were closed again, but she had a renewed hope. She sat next to the bed and held his hand within hers.
"You are going to be ok baby. I'm so happy that you are coming back to me. I promise I will do whatever I can to make sure our marriage works."
Fitz woke up four days later. He wasn't out of the woods yet, but his MRI looked good and the doctor's were hopeful he'd make a full recovery. He hadn't been able to really speak yet and Mellie noticed every time she came in the room he looked at her strangely. She just chalked it up to what happened with them before he was shot.
Mellie breezed into his room with flowers to try to brighten up the drab hospital room. She'd been told that he had a good day at Physical Therapy and he was really starting to get his voice back. Mellie was so excited that soon Fitz would be able to return to the White House to resume his recuperation. Fitz had been raised up in the bed and he was staring at the tv that was on. When she entered the room he looked at her and frowned.
"Fitz so good to see you doing better. I have been so worried about you." Mellie went to kiss him on the cheek, but he recoiled from her. She furrowed her brow and couldn't believe he was still angry with her for leaving. "Honey I know that you are upset with me, but I'm going to come home and we can work on our marriage." Fitz continued to stare at her.
"Who are you?" He asked with a scratchy voice. Mellie's eyes bucked.
"Excuse me what do you mean who am I?"
"I don't know who you are." Mellie gasped and stepped away from his bed clutching her chest.
"Fitz are you joking because if you are joking it's not funny." He shook his head.
"I'm sure that you're a nice person, but I have no clue who you are." Mellie rushed out of the room to get the doctor.
"Mrs. Grant what can I …."
"He doesn't remember me!" She stated frantically.
"What do you mean?"
"Just what I said he doesn't remember me. He asked me who I was." Mellie was starting to become hysterical. The doctor barked some orders at the nurse and they headed into Fitz's room. Mellie plopped down on a nearby chair completely bewildered by what had just transpired.
1 Month Later
Fitz was released from the hospital. He'd made remarkable strides in his recovery. He was surpassing his Physical Therapy goals and his cognitive abilities were almost back to normal, except for the fact that he still had not regained all of his memory. He remembered his father, his childhood, being Governor of California and most of his presidency, but his life with Mellie was a complete blank to him. Mellie felt like she was being punished for wanting to leave him, for wanting to have him out of her life so she'd been erased from his.
"What are you doing honey?" Maeve walked into the room where Mellie slept and observed her daughter packing her clothes.
"I'm getting my stuff ready so I can come back to North Carolina." Her mother cocked her head and looked at her strangely.
"Why?"
"He's fine the doctor's are saying they will clear him soon to resume his duties. There's no reason for me to stay here." Her mother arched an eyebrow.
"You know that I'm not a Fitzgerald Grant fan, but let's be honest here. The only reason you want to come back to North Carolina is because of his memory issues. You're running from your problems."
"Mother my husband doesn't remember me or the life we had together. What do you expect me to do?" She said exasperated.
"I expect you to act like the person I raised and stay here and fight. You love that man despite everything I've tried I could not keep you away from him and him away from you. You got him now and just because it's a little tough you can't run away Melody."
"Mom I can't do this. When he looks at me there's nothing there. He looks at me like I'm a stranger. I'd rather he felt hate for me than nothing at all." Mellie sat heavily on the bench in the closet and put her head in her hands. Tear streamed down her face. Maeve came and sat next to her daughter, rubbing her back.
"What are you going to do about this baby and Teddy?"
"I don't know." Mellie stated her voice muffled by her hands. "He seems interested in being a dad to Teddy and Karen. He has inquired about Gerry. I haven't told him that I am pregnant." Maeve nodded.
"You need to stay. When he regains his memories he needs to know that you stood by his side." Mellie was shocked by what her mother was saying. "You're looking at me like I have two heads girl. Like I stated I'm no fan, but he's your husband so you might as well try to make this work." Maeve stated indignantly. Mellie hugged her mom thankful for the encouragement she was giving her.
"I love you mom." Maeve held Mellie tightly to her and kissed her head.
"I love you my baby. Your father and I will return home tomorrow." Mellie held her mother tighter.
"Can't you stay a little longer?" Maeve shook her head no.
"We have to get back to our lives. We will only be a phone call away."
"Karen is going back to school the weekend and you and dad will be leaving me too."
"You have your life to get back to. You are still First Lady."
"For now." Mellie released her mother and sighed.
"You've always been Fitzgerald Grant's First Lady sweetie that will never change." Her mother stroked her face and kissed her forehead before standing. "I'm going to go make sure my things are together." Mellie nodded and her mother left her alone with her thoughts.
